Today, tubal ligation is the most effective method of birth control, because after this medical procedure, pregnancy becomes virtually impossible. This method is used for those women who voluntarily refuse possible pregnancies, that is, those who no longer want to have children.
How to ligate the fallopian tubes after childbirth: who is allowed
Of course, not all women can undergo this procedure. There are enough contraindications that prevent this operation. Therefore, it is easier to list cases that have no contraindications for tubal ligation.
When ligation surgery is possible:
- When a new pregnancy and childbirth threatens the patient’s health;
- At an age close to menopause, when there is a history of severe genetic diseases;
- When a woman has two or more children and is under 35 years old;
- In case the woman is over 35 and has a child;
- When both husband and wife no longer want children.
The operation is not that complicated, so complications are rare. Laparoscopic operations are the least traumatic. This operation is performed under local or general anesthesia, as the patient wishes and as the doctor recommends. Postpartum sterilization is carried out using the laparoscopic method. It is performed 72 hours after the baby is born. At this time, the fallopian tubes are located in the navel area, which makes the operation easier, and rehabilitation will be faster and easier.
There are a sufficient number of methods of contraception, but the most guaranteed are surgical sterilization or tubal ligation. In case of genetic diseases, some women are prescribed this operation by doctors, while others consent to it consciously, not wanting to have children in the future. But sooner or later the lady will be worried about the problem of whether it is possible to get pregnant with ligated tubes.
Is natural pregnancy possible after surgery?
To answer this, let us remember the physiology of the process of conceiving a child. The egg, matured in the ovary, breaks through its membrane at the right time and moves into one of the fallopian tubes. Here there is a fusion with the sperm, which is already waiting for her. In the case of fertilization, the fertilized egg moves through the tube, descending into the uterus, where it attaches to the inner lining of the endometrium and the fetus begins its development before birth.
When the tubes are excluded from this reproductive chain, it turns out that the embryo cannot form. After all, the egg, not finding its usual path, will die without meeting the sperm.
Therefore, the answer to the question Is it possible to get pregnant if the fallopian tubes are tied, naturally, obvious, definitely no.
Cases of natural conception
In this case, conception is possible only in a few exceptional cases:
- as a result of a poorly performed operation or its defect;
- if the fallopian tubes have fused with the formation of a new unexpected passage for the sperm;
- you were already pregnant at the time of the tubal ligation.
Having performed such an operation, you need to know that the risk of ectopic pregnancy increases significantly, since the free passage for the egg is limited. To check the correctness of the surgical intervention and the presence of possible defects, it is worth performing an ultrasound. During this study, the doctor will determine the existing deviations and the degree of patency of the pipe.
Is it possible to get pregnant with tubal ligation?
If a sterilized woman suddenly decided to give birth to a baby, then in our age of technological progress this is doable. There is a procedure called IVF (in vitro fertilization), which will show whether it is possible to get pregnant if both tubes are ligated artificially. IVF includes the following stages:
- Under ultrasound guidance, several eggs are grown in the ovary under the influence of hormones.
- The finished cells are placed in a test tube.
- Produce artificial insemination spermatozoa.
- Embryos are placed in the uterus and their attachment to the endometrium is monitored.
From this moment on, the woman must maintain physical and psychological rest, since embryos survive in 80% of cases and the risk of their death is quite high. If unsuccessful, the attempt is repeated after 2-3 months. This method gives representatives of the fair sex a real chance of pregnancy, when it is not possible to achieve what they want on their own. The only disadvantage of the artificial method is the high price.
IVF or tubal plastic surgery
In addition to IVF, you can also undertake tubal plastic surgery. The doctor recommends this procedure in in some cases according to the results of the survey. But such a process is very lengthy and expensive.
Prevention from unwanted pregnancy is very important in our time. Therefore, it is worth choosing a method of contraception that will not create difficulties in conceiving a baby in the future. Even if you are currently adamant about not wanting children, things may change in a few years. It may be necessary to take a closer look at more gentle methods of contraception, so that in the future you don’t have to worry about the question: is it possible to get pregnant with ligated tubes? It is better to immediately provide for all the possibilities so that you do not encounter problems later.
Today in modern medicine and pharmacology there are a large number of methods and drugs for contraception. The maximum level of prevention of unwanted pregnancy can only be achieved by sterilization or tubal ligation. Often, if a woman has severe genetic pathologies, a doctor may recommend such a procedure.
Also, manipulations of this kind can be carried out on girls who have already given birth to two children by caesarean section and no longer wish to have children. There are also some women who decide to undergo the procedure voluntarily, without medical indications, but sooner or later the question will still arise: if the tubes are tied, is it possible to get pregnant, so we will try to answer it.
It is impossible to clearly answer whether it is possible to get pregnant with ligated tubes if you do not study the physiological process of conceiving a baby. In the ovaries of a woman, sex cells, or as they are also called eggs, mature. Once the oocytes are ready, they break through the membrane and move towards one of the fallopian tubes. It is at this point that the egg is supposed to meet the sperm and fertilization occurs.
If this happens, then the fertilized egg will move further along this path. Its ultimate goal is to penetrate the uterine cavity, where it attaches to the endometrium. Here the fetus develops until the end of pregnancy.
Accordingly, when one significant element drops out in such a natural chain, the formation of an embryo does not occur in the body. The fact is that the egg cannot travel the right path, which will lead to its inevitable death, since the meeting with the sperm does not occur. This means that to the question of whether it is possible to get pregnant with ligated tubes naturally, the answer will be clearly negative.
Exceptions
With all this, cases of pregnancy with ligated tubes are known to medicine. With such intervention in the body, the conception of a child occurs as a result of a confluence of favorable factors to achieve this goal, including:
- The operation was performed with a low level of quality, or there was a defect;
- Pregnancy during sterilization of the fallopian tubes occurs when, during fusion, they form a new branch for the release of the egg;
- If conception occurred before the tubes were tied.
Every woman should understand that pregnancy is possible after tubal ligation; cases are not uncommon, but often it is ectopic, which is a rather dangerous condition for a woman’s health.
This is due to the fact that free access to the egg is limited. After sterilization has been carried out, it is important to ensure that the intervention was performed correctly and without defects. To do this, the doctor refers the patient for ultrasound diagnostics of the pelvic organs. During screening, it will be determined what degree of patency of the fallopian tubes is, and whether there are any complications.
It is not surprising that if the fallopian tubes are tied, whether it is possible to get pregnant is of interest to every woman who has undergone this procedure. In situations where the operation is performed correctly, the likelihood of conceiving a baby is reduced to zero.
ECO
Is it possible to get pregnant with ligated tubes? A question that does not have a clear answer. Of course, conception can occur, but most likely the egg will be outside the uterus and you will have to undergo a complex operation to remove it.
If your tubes are tied, you can get pregnant through in vitro fertilization. This procedure belongs to assisted reproductive technologies, and is quite popular among modern women who are diagnosed with infertility.
Artificial insemination - stages of IVF
Let's take a closer look at how you can get pregnant if your tubes are tied using IVF. To do this, you should go to a specialized clinic and inform a specialist of your desire. The doctor will prescribe diagnostics of the body, after which hormonal therapy will be prescribed.
With its help, eggs are grown and monitored when they are ripe, they are punctured and transferred to a test tube for full development. Subsequently, the donor's or husband's sperm will be used to fertilize them and transfer them into the woman's uterine cavity. Next, the expectant mother needs to maintain physical and psychological peace, because the likelihood that the embryo will take root is relatively low (from 60 to 80%).
Thus, answering the question of whether it is possible to get pregnant after sterilization of the fallopian tubes, it must be said that the probability exists, but it is low. IVF protocols are not always completed successfully, because the embryo may die, and then the procedure will have to be repeated a second, and if necessary, a third time.
Pregnancy with tubal ligation occurs in rare cases. That is why, if a woman cannot clearly decide whether she wants to have children, she should choose alternative methods of contraception, and resort to radical methods in extreme situations. When asking doctors whether it is possible to get pregnant after sterilization, a woman will most likely hear a negative answer, so you need to think about this step many times.
Post date: 18.07.2012 22:02
Lyudmila
Hello! I am 45 years old! We have a lot of children born by cesarean section! After the second cesarean, my tubes were tied and 11 months later I gave birth to my third child! 17 years have passed since the last cesarean, but the desire to have children does not leave me! We adopted 2 more one-month-old abandoned children! They are already 7 years old and 4 years old! I want another baby but all the results are zero! What should we do?
Post date: 22.07.2012 20:03
Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Hello, dear Lyudmila.
I will not hide that it is extremely difficult to get pregnant over the age of 40.
You need to be examined by a fertility specialist to understand whether there is a chance. Wish you luck!!!
Post date: 03.08.2012 13:07
Olesya
Hello, I am 24 years old, 2.6 years ago, during the second cesorisection, my tubes were tied, how surgically, I don’t know, now the delay is 2 weeks, can I be pregnant, the test is negative?
Post date: 03.08.2012 18:29
Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Hello, dear Olesya.
The likelihood of pregnancy is extremely low, but just in case, take a blood test for hCG hormone and visit a gynecologist.
Post date: 13.08.2012 22:00
Marina
We did IVF 3 and a half years ago; it worked on the first try. There were good quality embryos left in the moro stage. Were there any cases of pregnancy when using embryos that were stored for such a long time?
Hello, dear Marina.
Of course, in my clinic over the past 6 months, the pregnancy rate after transfer of thawed embryos has been 50%!
The duration of storage does not affect the quality of the embryos.
Another thing is that embryologists may no longer have in their work exactly the media on which the embryos were frozen. And they can use other media, more modern and of a new generation, and this is not good for embryos, if they were frozen in some media and thawed in others.
Post date: 14.08.2012 17:49
Nina
I am 29 years old, my tubes were tied after two ectopic pregnancies, I want to restore at least one tube, where is it done and how much does it cost?
Hello, dear Inna. Please check with your gynecologist where they do GOOD laparoscopy in your city and how much it costs, I live and work in Samara.
Sincerely, Gary Zelimkhanovich Dostibegyan, fertility specialist
Post date: 15.08.2012 02:58
Elizabeth
I am 33 years old and had my tubes tied 6 years ago. Is there a chance for successful IVF if I have a second positive blood type and my husband has a third negative blood type? How much does it cost?
Post date: 16.08.2012 20:25
Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Hello, dear Elizaveta.
The blood type and Rh factor of the spouses do not have any negative impact on the process of pregnancy.
The cost of IVF varies, depending on the clinic, we have three clinics in Samara where IVF is done, from 110 to 130 thousand rubles, in Penza - one, the cost is slightly more expensive.
Sincerely, Gary Zelimkhanovich Dostibegyan, fertility specialist
Post date: 25.08.2012 07:50
Alyona
Hello. Age 40 years. My caesarean babies are 17, 14 and 6 years old. In 2006, they tied the tubes and removed the left ovary (there was a cyst). I have a great desire to give birth again, what should I do?
Post date: 26.08.2012 22:11
Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Hello, dear Alena.
There is one option: the IVF program, although at the age of 40, I admit honestly, the chances are slim.
Sincerely, reproductologist Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Post date: 14.09.2012 11:34
Natalia
Hello. I’m 25 years old. I tied my tubes 1.5 years ago. Now I have a delay and it feels like I’m pregnant, please tell me, is this possible or is it self-hypnosis? Thanks in advance!
Post date: 14.09.2012 14:03
Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Hello, dear Natalia.
The likelihood of pregnancy after surgical sterilization is extremely low, but just in case, take a blood test for the hCG hormone and visit a gynecologist.
Sincerely, Gary Zelimkhanovich Dostibegyan, fertility specialist
Post date: 22.10.2012 09:23
Natalia
Hello! I am 41 years old. 6 years ago I had my tubes tied. In total there were 2 Caesarean sections, ovarian appoplexy, and an ectopic pregnancy. Now I am 2 months late. At the same time, I have all the symptoms of menopause. Could I be going through menopause? Should I go to the doctor?
Post date: 22.10.2012 10:28
Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Hello, dear Natalya.
After 40 years, the onset of menopause is highly probable.
In any case, you need to visit a doctor for an examination and clarification of the diagnosis.
Sincerely, reproductologist Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Post date: 02.11.2012 10:47
Anyuta
Hello! After tubal ligation, are there possible consequences that negatively affect a woman’s body, for example, problems with hormones, excess weight, adhesions, etc.? and do they exist at all? Thank you!
Post date: 04.11.2012 18:16
Dostibegyan Gary Zelimkhanovich
Hello, dear Anyuta.
No, it’s unlikely; if similar problems arise in the future, it will clearly not be due to tubal ligation.
Sincerely, Gary Zelimkhanovich Dostibegyan, fertility specialist
Tubal ligation is an effective contraceptive method that is irreversible. This technique is also called female sterilization. It is carried out only with the consent of the patient or for special medical reasons. Such sterilization is performed surgically, often during a cesarean operation. After tubal ligation during a caesarean section, the consequences can be varied, since they depend on many factors such as the method of sterilization, surgical access, etc.
The attending gynecologist will answer all your questions
Sometimes a woman’s life circumstances are such that she does not want or is absolutely forbidden to have children. Today, gynecologists can offer a lot of contraceptive methods. But if pregnancy is contraindicated for the patient for the rest of her life, then it is better to refuse lifelong use of contraceptives hormonal drugs and undergo a surgical sterilization procedure.
This procedure is usually performed under anesthesia and is often combined with a cesarean section, which is very convenient and does not require unnecessary incisions on the patient’s abdominal wall to gain access to the fallopian tubes. All manipulations are carried out after the baby is removed from the uterus, through the same incision. Tubal ligation, unlike other methods of contraception, gives the patient a 100% guarantee that pregnancy will never occur.
Such an operation, as already mentioned, is carried out only with the consent of a woman whose age is over 35 years old and she already has 2 or more children. If there are medical indications, then the presence of children and age characteristics are no longer taken into account, although the patient’s written consent is also required. DHS (or voluntary surgical sterilization) has a number of indications and contraindications, which are also taken into account when deciding on an intervention.
Indications for testing
Before agreeing to such a procedure, a woman must undergo a consultation, during which the patient is explained all the intricacies of the intervention, consequences and indications. The girl must receive objective information in order to make a choice, agreeing or refusing DHS. In addition, the available indications for such intervention are explained.
- The patient is completely and unconditionally sure that she does not want to have children ever in her life;
- If a woman already has a child and her age has exceeded 35 years;
- For dangerous cardiovascular pathologies, pulmonary hypertension, active hepatitis forms, etc.;
- The presence of pathologies that can negatively affect the process of pregnancy or somehow aggravate the pregnancy;
- If the first three births occurred via surgical delivery (cesarean);
- If a woman has a severe hereditary disease that can pass on to her children;
- With liver failure, leukemia or diabetes;
- The patient has no pathologies that could be an obstacle to DHS.
Many patients mistakenly believe that the cesarean section procedure and subsequent tubal ligation are two interrelated surgical procedures, but this is incorrect. Even if during a cesarean section it turns out that it is dangerous for the patient to become pregnant and give birth to offspring in the future, doctors cannot perform sterilization without the woman’s consent. Possible risks are determined during preoperative preparation, and it is then that the issue of DHS is discussed with the patient. If the woman agrees, she gives written permission to carry out the dressing.
Contraindications
There are a number of certain conditions in which voluntary surgical sterilization is contraindicated. Such conditions include obesity and allergic intolerance to drugs used for anesthesia, oncological pathologies, and malignant neoplasms. If a woman is under 35 years of age or if there are adhesions or inflammatory processes in the genitourinary and reproductive structures, DCS is also contraindicated.
Bandaging is not performed on single patients who do not have a single child or women with unstable sexual and family relations. After all, circumstances can always change, then a woman will want to give birth, but will no longer be able to, because the sterilization procedure is irreversible, and a ligated canal in both tubes makes pregnancy impossible. Therefore, doctors strongly recommend that such women take their time and choose not such a drastic method of contraception, but a safer and reversible method.
Advantages, disadvantages
The fallopian tubes perform a transport function for sperm and eggs. The female reproductive cell matures and is sent through the fallopian tube into the uterine cavity, where it is fertilized by sperm, after which it is implanted through the same tube into the cavity of the uterine body, where it is implanted into the wall of the organ. The main purpose of ligation of the fallopian tubes is to exclude the possibility of the egg meeting the male reproductive cells, as a result of which pregnancy becomes impossible.
Although surgical sterilization belongs to the category of irreversible operations, in isolated cases self-healing of the patency of the fallopian tubes occurred. Most often, such processes occurred due to non-compliance with the DHS technique or incorrect selection of surgical approach techniques. But in general, restoration of the tube after ligation is possible only with the help of plastic surgical interventions, which are not always successful, expensive and technically complex.
Therefore, if the patient urgently wants to give birth after surgical sterilization, doctors can offer her in vitro fertilization. But this method is also very expensive financially and does not always provide the desired result. That is why you need to think a thousand and one times, weigh all the factors, and only then decide to take such a crucial step. After all, having a child after DHS is almost impossible. The dressing procedure is not without its disadvantages and advantages.
- Firstly, after such an intervention there is a 100% guarantee of contraception, and there is no chance of conception.
- Secondly, such sterilization can be carried out after cesarean section, which is very convenient and does not require additional preparation of the patient for the operation.
- Thirdly, such an intervention does not in any way affect a woman’s sexual desire, does not affect her general health, and does not disrupt the patient’s hormonal levels.
The disadvantages of DHS include the irreversible lack of fertility, the need for anesthesia during ligation, and the existing likelihood of an ectopic ectopic event due to insufficient qualifications of the doctor who performed the sterilization. In addition, this procedure is a surgical intervention, and therefore may have characteristic complications and consequences such as inflammatory processes, bleeding, etc.
Dressing methods
A healthy and desired baby is every woman’s dream
Typically, ligation is performed after cesarean section by laparotomy through the incision made to remove the child. Although, if the patient wishes, the dressing can be carried out in a more gentle way - laparoscopically, when all manipulations are carried out through two punctures in the abdominal wall. The procedure for ligating the fallopian tubes can be carried out using various methods, among which the most popular are: cauterization, ligation followed by an incision, ligation with a silk ligature, application of a clip or installation of a special implant inside the tubal canal.
Today, pipes are rarely tied with a silk ligature; this is usually done by highly qualified specialists with impressive experience. But other methods are quite popular and are used almost everywhere. For example, placing a special clip on a pipe (occlusion or blocking) is sometimes considered a reversible operation, because it can be removed over time. After removing the clip from the pipe, self-healing occurs, which in the future makes pregnancy quite possible. Coagulation involves sealing the tubal canal approximately 3 cm from the uterine body using electrosurgical instruments or a laser.
Relatively young, new techniques include implantation of implants into the pipe (blockage). Such sterilization is carried out using a hysteroscopic technique and under mandatory ultrasound control. Through cervical canal into the uterus, and then special devices are inserted into the tubes to prevent sperm from moving into the tube. Within several months (usually 3-4), the fallopian lumen is completely healed. During this period, the woman will still have to take precautions, because the possibility of pregnancy remains. After 4 months, the patient undergoes a control hysteroscopy, which shows the degree of occlusion of the fallopian tubes. If they are completely impassable, then the sterilization operation is considered successful.
After operation
Before the intervention, the patient undergoes standard preoperative preparatory activities with laboratory tests and other studies.
- About a week before the cesarean and ligation, the patient should stop taking all medications.
- You should not eat or drink before the intervention.
- After surgical sterilization, any physical exercise, you can’t drive and wet the wound.
- In general, contraindications after ligation surgery are similar to those after a cesarean section.
- If the intervention was carried out as an independent laparoscopic procedure, then it is necessary to avoid stress, the bath is also strictly prohibited, but you can go to the shower, having previously covered the wound from water.
- Sexual rest is also necessary; the doctor will determine its exact timing individually.
- A bloody mass may be released from the vagina in the first day or three.
- Sometimes constipation may occur in the first days, which doctors recommend avoiding with a special diet.
After resuming sexual activity, there is no need to use contraception.
Consequences and complications
If the doctor is sufficiently qualified, and during surgical sterilization all necessary standards were met, then you should not expect any negative complications. If the operation was performed poorly, then there is a possibility of serious complications and severe consequences such as sepsis, vascular damage, bleeding, inflammatory damage or allergic reactions due to the anesthesia used.
After the dressing, the woman is forever deprived of the opportunity to bear children, but the patient does not experience any hormonal problems as a result of the operation, nor does she experience menstrual irregularities.
The effectiveness of such contraception
If we compare the procedure of surgical ligation of the fallopian tubes with other methods of contraception, it is considered the most effective. But in isolated cases, pregnancy is still possible if during the intervention there was incomplete closure of the tubal lumen due to medical error.
The likelihood of failure of surgical sterilization is negligible. But when deciding on such contraception, a woman must take into account that in the future she will never be able to get pregnant. Therefore, if at least one doubt remains regarding DHS, then it is better to refuse this method contraception, replacing it with a less drastic one.
Blocking the fallopian canals does not affect ovulatory functions and menstrual cycles patients. In other words, the egg will also continue to mature monthly, and menstrual bleeding will also come with each cycle. At a certain time, a woman will enter menopause, as if no surgery on the reproductive organs had ever been performed.
Before agreeing to such an important and desperate step, the patient needs to think very carefully and weigh all the arguments. According to statistics, more than half of the patients who agreed to surgical sterilization subsequently regretted it. the decision taken, but they could not return childbearing and reproductive functions back.
